Naruto OneShots
by AnimeFreaks13
Summary: Some Naruto One-Shots. 1-The Gardener. 2-Rainy Days 3-Hajiki
1. The Gardener

**The Gardener**

**I know...I promised a Gundam SEED fic called Of Blue and Silver Hair...but my mom hasn't gotten me the dvds yet! -pout- I only have vol 5 and I cant write the first chapters if I only have vol 5!**

**So yea, deal with me for a moment, please. I'll try to give you guys other stories until I get that one completed...I have the ideas for 2 others Gundam SEED stories, but I cant promise anything! Enjoy this fic!**

* * *

"Do you see it? That pitiful place. No light reaches in there." A black haired woman whispered to her friends.

"Shh! I hear an evil spirit lives in there!"Her brunette friend said.

"Guys...It's just a dead garden." The third, a red head, and most sensible of the three broke in.

"Don't you see the wall around it? It's been closed off ever since the gardener died of a mysterious illness!" The blacked haired woman whispered back. The brunette nodded furiously.

"Whatever. Let's go find Tom and Jack. I'm sure Nick'll be easy to find." she rolled her eyes as she led her friends off.

A blonde head popped out of the bushes and looked across the street at the wall. It looked so intimidating...covered in vines...dirty from the years...but no one had been inside. The blonde boy ran across the street to the other, non-visible side of the wall. His bright blue eyes traced the lined in the wall and he placed his small hand in a crack he found.

The boy was no more than 6 or 7 years old. He had several cuts and bruises, but the determination in his eyes drew away from them. He wore a black shirt, dirty from not being washed and cut from his many falls while running through the city. His shorts were dark blue and at night he'd be hard to see.

Slowly, he climbed the wall and peered over. The boy gasped. Inside, the world was dead. He looked at the trees around the garden and then at the garden itself. Dead flowers, dead trees, dead everything. It was as if the breath of life could not reach here.

Climbing inside, the boy scrapped a piece of bark from a tree and found it was still slightly green inside. A smile crossed his face in less than a second. The garden wasn't dead yet! He could save it! The blonde ran to the shed embedded in the wall of the garden and looked inside...Ok, first off...clean the shed.

-

2 months later

People walked by the garden without a second thought. Over the wall, came a soft sound. A flute of some sort was playing inside the garden! It was a beautiful sound. Why was no one staring at it then? Why weren't they listening?

The sound of a flute playing inside the garden had started more than a month ago. No one was surprised by it anymore and they left it to itself. No one in town knew who played the flute, so rumors spread that the gardener was responsible. The dead guy had come back to once again make his home flourish.

Of course, that's not what was happening. Inside, a blonde boy named Naruto was merrily playing the flute for the plants he'd saved. They were beautiful and shone with glory in the sun. A gentle wind blew and rustled his hair as he stopped playing. He laughed and began running through the garden, admiring the plants and spinning in circles.

"My secret place..." he smiled, stopping before he hit the wall, and placing his hands gently on the rough stone. "But...now the city looks dead compared to it's beauty..." he smiled at his intelligence and use of words. "I know! I'll help the town too!"

-

For weeks, Naruto kept his garden during the day, and helped the city's plants at night. He watered the flowers in one couple's yard, and helped the trees grow in a man's orchard. All around the city, everything was bright and growing. Rumors spread for this as well.

'The Gardener,' as they called him, was a spirit of some sort who wished to make the land beautiful and came in the late hours of the night. He would help anything dying to grow, if you put it outside. Everyone hoped their plants would be visited by this magical creature called 'The Gardener.'

One night, Naruto came to a deserted part of town he'd never been in before. It seemed so dark...so dead. But Naruto could smell in the air that someone still lived here, so he went in.

All around him were the remnants of yards that had once shown with beauty. Naruto frowned at the appearance of the dead things and walked over to one of the flower beds. All that night he worked on the beds in this area, hoping he wasn't to late and they would still grow.

This continued for 2 weeks, as Naruto cared for all of Konoha's garden plants. He paid careful attention to the dark place he'd visited, and they were slowly coming back to life. People spread the story of the Uchiha area blossoming and they wondered how 'The Gardener' had brought that place back to life.

Tonight was no different, though it rained, he still came out and did his job. When he was done, Naruto was almost too tired to notice the small eyes filled with sadness that blinked at him through the windows of the main house in that area. But he turned and ran before they could really see him.

-

A dark haired boy sat atop his roof wearing dark clothing. He blended perfectly with the night...a creature hunting it's prey...Now all he had to do was wait. 3 nights ago he'd seen a man in his yard, presumably this 'Gardener' everyone was fascinated with. But it would not go unchecked!

Uchiha Sasuke, sole surviving member of the Uchciha Clan, would not let this man trespass on his land without him giving permission. He was sad, true, but knew the penalties he could tell the man he was to receive.

Suddenly, a blur of dark yellow, gold maybe, caught his attention. So lost in his thoughts, he hadn't seen the man as they helped his clans' gardens. He was at Sasuke's house now. Sasuke was perched to pounce on his roof.

The blonde knelt down to a plant of slowly flowering white roses and Sasuke prepared to jump. He froze when he heard the boy talking.

"I'm back...I hope you were doing ok while I was gone...I wonder who lives here in this house. I saw a boy about my age through the window a few days ago..." Naruto smiled at the flowers and tended to them.

Sasuke anger rose. So he _was_ the man from before! His foot slipped and he found himself falling off his roof. Naruto heard the slip on the roof tiles and shot his gaze upward. The dark haired boy landed on top of the blonde.

"Ow..." the both muttered, then saw the other one and stared before screaming. "Ah!" they both jumped back a bit.

While Sasuke got in a stance to fight, the blonde smiled a wide smile, grabbed his stuff, and ran. Sasuke blinked before following.

-

"Oh no..." Naruto thought as he scaled the garden's wall and ran into the shack, putting his things away.

He ran back out and looked around the garden. No one. He supposed he'd lost the boy and went about tending to the garden.

Sasuke blinked at the wall. The haunted garden? The garden that had suddenly began to flourish? He slowly began to scale the wall, using a vine for support.

When he was at the top, he sat down for a moment as he heard soft humming. It was the blonde boy! He was tending the flowers. Sasuke and the boy blinked at the same time and looked up to see the sun was already rising.

Naruto ran off and Sasuke was about to run after him when he came back. A flute was in his hands.

"Flute?" he somewhat remembered music as he walked silently through the town. But then everyone started staring at him and he rarely came over here anymore. "Hm?"

Naruto began to play, a beautiful tune that in Sasuke's mind sounded like the world waking up in music instead of light. He closed his eyes and swayed slightly to the music. His eyes widened and he slipped.

"Ah!" Sasuke fell off the wall and landed on Naruto.

"Ow..." Naruto blinked and looked up at the dark boy on him. "Ah!" he made a scramble, but being under someone as heavy...heavier than he was, he went nowhere.

"Shh! Shut up!" Sasuke clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth and put his weight just below his neck. Naruto fell and lay still. "You're the gardener...aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" he said as if asking 'so what' to doing something bad. Sasuke blinked.

"You've really helped the town. Why not let yourself gain the glory of them knowing?" he asked.

"Glory? No one would let me help them if they knew it was me." the blonde said bitterly, staring dejectedly at the grass he was laying in.

"What? Why?" Sasuke let up on Naruto and sat next to him.

"How should I know? It's been like this ever since I was born." Naruto didn't move but was glad the pressure on his upper back was gone.

He should've stopped there. He should've gotten up and run away. But Naruto had already started talking, and his lonely life never required much talking. Sasuke sat and stared at the ground as he listened to the blonde.

"No one's ever been kind to me. No one's ever listened to me. I've been alone all my life. Except when I was a baby and had care-takers. I don't even know who my parents were!" he jumped up and ran off, through the trees and plants he'd grown in this garden.

"Wait!" Sasuke jumped up, reaching out as if to stop him. But the blonde was gone, he couldn't see him anymore. "What's your name?" he muttered.

Sadly, he turned and climbed the wall out of the garden. Naruto sat behind the bushes, just out of view. He refused to cry. He never cried. Why cry now? But...that boy had wanted to know his name. He'd wanted to know him.

Well, he'd provide. Everyone would know him. Everyone would acknowledge him! He wouldn't be ignored anymore!

Naruto stood up and looked defiantly at the sun creeping over the wall. He jumped the wall in two leaps, running to his house to plan. What to do? He couldn't decide. How do you cause enough ruckus to have _everyone_ notice you?

"I'll start small." he smiled, grabbing some brushes and running off to the market.

'Life is gonna be so lonely...' he thought.

"But so fun!" he cheered, drawing a few eyes as he ran.

-

Dark eyes peered evilly from a window in a dark house. But they weren't evil. They were sad. But, it had been decided. That boy hadn't wanted to stay with him. His family was gone. He'd be alone for ever. No one mattered but oneself.

'No one's ever been kind to me. No one's ever listened to me. I've been alone all my life. Except when I was a baby and had care-takers. I don't even know who my parents were!'

He blinked. No! Sasuke shook his head. No time for that thinking! No one mattered! He'd live for him and him alone! No one could shake him again. He had to kill his brother, that's all that mattered.

Since all the girls wanted him, but no one wanted to know him...he'd never get to know anyone either. His pretty face would never smile...Sasuke Uchiha would be the perfect warrior, no emotions, only living to kill his enemy.

He turned from the window, letting the curtain fall over it. Walking into his dark house, he went to take a shower. To wash away the useless memories and start anew.

"Aniki(1)...I will kill you..." he swore.

-

6 years later.

"Hey!" a blonde boy called, running to the bridge that was Team 7's meeting place today. "Ohayo Sakura-chan!(2)"

"Huh? Oh...Hi Naruto. You know, you were supposed to be here 10 minutes ago!" Sakura complained.

"Gomen Nasai!(3)" Naruto apologized.

"Hn. Dobe." came a voice. Naruto turned to see Sasuke leaning against the bridge.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled immediately. "I am NOT a dobe!"

POOF!

"Good Morning!" Kakashi yelled happily. He blinked and looked around. "Where might Naruto be?" Sakura had her hands over her mouth, while Sasuke merely smirked at the ground near Kakashi. "Huh?" he looked down.

Naruto was under Kakashi's feet. He was on his stomach and couldn't move due to the fact that Kakashi's right foot was just below his neck.

"Oh, sorry Naruto. Strange...I didn't aim for your back." he smiled and hopped off. Naruto didn't move as he grumbled.

"Man...today is starting out bad..." he muttered. Sasuke's eyes flashed for a split moment, then he shook his head.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?" Sakura asked.

"Who cares?" Naruto asked, jumping up. "Let's get started!" he turned and ran to the end of the bridge, back to Sasuke. "Let's go!"

Sasuke shook his head again. What was this?

"_Ah!" Sasuke fell off the wall and landed on Naruto._

"_Ow..." Naruto blinked and looked up. "Ah!" he made a scramble, but went nowhere._

"_Shh! Shut up!" Sasuke clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth and put his weight just below his neck. Naruto fell and lay still. "You're the gardener...aren't you?"_

"_So what if I am?" he asked. Sasuke blinked._

"_You've really helped the town. Why not let yourself gain the glory of them knowing?" he asked._

"_Glory? No one would let me help them if they knew it was me." the blonde said bitterly._

"_What? Why?" Sasuke let up on Naruto and sat next to him._

"_How should I know? It's been like this ever since I was born." Naruto didn't move._

_Sasuke sat and stared at the ground as he listened to the blonde._

"_No one's ever been kind to me. No one's ever listened to me. I've been alone all my life. Except when I was a baby and had care-takers. I don't even know who my parents were!" he jumped up and ran off._

"_Wait!" Sasuke jumped up, reaching out as if to stop him. But the blonde was gone, he couldn't see him anymore. "What's your name?" he muttered_.

"No way..." the dark haired genin muttered.

"Sasuke! Let's go!" Kakashi called back to him. Sasuke blinked once AGAIN and looked up.

The others were already off the bridge and walking. He didn't hurry to catch up, but caught up anyway. They then picked up speed, since they were late as it was.

-

Sasuke was walking home, the moon had long since risen. He passed by the garden wall, and his curiosity spilt. Walking over to the wall, he inspected the wall like he did the first time and then inserted his hands in the same holes as he climbed.

Sasuke had a mental image of trees and flowers, all growing magnificently. What he saw wasn't that. The garden looked dead...like rumors before' the gardener' showed up. No life seemed to be in this place.

Sasuke jumped down into the garden and frowned. What had happened to the blonde boy? Sure, he didn't live here. But he was supposed to have been the one to care for this garden. He stepped halfway onto something before he stopped and looked down.

"Flute?" he muttered, bending down to pick it up.

It was dusty, old, and looked like it hadn't been used in awhile. He used his shirt to wipe it off and soon the silver instrument shone again in the moonlight. He blew through it to clear the inside of dust and then cleaned the mouth piece. Raising it to his lips, he blew.

The sound was horrible! Sasuke couldn't play at all! He nearly dropped the flute and then set it down. The dark boy turned around and saw something strange.

A flower, a lily, was sitting next to a dirty pond and seemed to be the only thing left that was still alive. He knelt down next to it and caressed one of it's petals. It was so soft. Sasuke took the small plant pot next to the flower and scooped up some water. Pouring it slowly on the flower, he moved away the dead things that kept moonlight and sunlight off of it.

Feeling better about the garden, he stood up and turned back to the flute. But it was gone! Sasuke looked around, but couldn't see it. Where was it? He'd just set it down a second ago. Suddenly, a tune filled the air. Slightly airy due to the dust in the flute, it still sounded like the earth as it was tired, going to sleep for the night.

Sasuke listened for but a moment before he flipped around to see who was playing. He could only make out a silhouette against the moon. But you could still see the blonde hair and tell his clothes were darkly colored. He smirked.

"Hello Gardener." he greeted. In response, the boy stopped playing. "Why's your garden dead?"

"This garden never belonged to me, trespasser. I come here to think. Even long after all the things I grew died...6 years is a long time, don't you think? You can grow so much." came a voice Sasuke knew, but was somewhat different. "Why'd you ask my name...last time?"

Sasuke blinked. He thought for a moment.

"Because...I was alone too...and I wanted to be your friend..." he said, as if talking to the 6 year old he'd met again. The figure paused. Suddenly, two shuriken were thrown at him. Sasuke blocked them both, each landing in the dirt. "What the hell-?" he shot at the blonde attacker.

"Moron. If you wanted to be my friend, you should've just said so." he jumped down, his sad voice echoed slightly against the walls. "Nice night, huh Sasuke?"

"Perfect for playing the flute...Naruto." Sasuke answered, smirking. Naruto smirked back, nodding.

"How about I teach you?" he offered.

"Teach me? Teach me what?" Sasuke asked, confused what the dobe could teach _him._

"I'll teach you to play the flute." Naruto said enthusiastically. Sasuke took a double take.

"What?" he asked. "The flute?"

"Well yea. You know how to handle one, but you suck at playing one. So, I'll teach you. Here, at night, whenever. And in return..." Naruto said.

"In return?" Sasuke was suspicious.

"You'll help me become a better ninja. I know you know some attacks that I don't, and I want you to teach them to me." Naruto said with a huge smile on.

Sasuke scoffed, it almost sounded like a laugh, and nodded.

"Alright Dobe. Tomorrow, same place, same time. I'll teach you ninjutsu, you teach me the flute."

'_How manly.'_ his mind taunted him.

'_Shut up.'_ he responded. It obeyed. Naruto smiled a larger smile than before and it was set.

**

* * *

1 - Aniki - I got this from another story. All of my Japanese comes from reading stories. I believe it means Older Brother. - Spelling may be wrong.**

**2 - Ohayo, Sakura-chan! - Good Morning Sakura! - Any endings you should know.**

**3 - Gomen Nasai - I'm Sorry or I'm Really Sorry - Spelling may be wrong.**

**Ok, that was it. End of The Gardner. This was a one-shot, so it's over. Ha...Your loss, not mine. (Blame AmishDonkey. The Big Red Button!) Please review! I hope you** **liked it! -smile- I've got 2 more, I'll post them later.**

**School's Out! More Writing Time!**


	2. Rainy Days

**Rainy Days**

**Naruto is alone in the rain. Sasuke finds him. A short, non-sentimental (come on, it's Sasuke) conversation.**

The rain poured down.

Nothing bid it stop, so down it came.

Everyone wanted it to stop, but they had no power over such a thing. One person however, wished it would never stop raining.

No one stared at him when it rained. No one cursed him when it rained. No one hated him when it rained. He wasn't so alone when it rained, or it didn't feel as such at least.

Sure, it was wet. It was dark. But he liked it that way. His hair wasn't so bright. His eyes weren't so determinedly shiny. But his life would always be meaningless.

He sat against the trunk of a tree, away from the sidewalk. His knees were brought to his chest and he was wrapping his arms around them. He raised his head from his legs to reveal eyes as wet as the ground around him.

He was crying. No one knew he cried. No one cared. They thought he was strong in this department. Or...heartless actually. But he didn't care. He knew he wasn't heartless, and that mattered. He looked to the sky. To the dark leaves of the tree he sat under.

-

Sasuke walked through the rain. God he loved the rain. Rain washed everything away.

Rain can't wash away the blood.

He shook his head. As Sasuke kept walking, thunder shook the sky and added pain to the feeling the air around him gave off. He spun his black umbrella slightly and looked at the ground.

Lightning flashed moments later and he looked up. He was in the park. The world was so dark. So cold, so dark, so deep, and so wet. But sad. He liked it. Matched his personality.

Sasuke saw a tree to his right and walked over to stand next to it. He kept staring at the ground. Thunder boomed again and Sasuke's eyes shot up from the dirt...mud. What was that? Mixed in with the thunder? He waited.

The thunder came again and he listened. The thunder sounded like cry of pain, of sadness. Noticing the small, yet powerful and effective, sound was closer than he thought and he turned around.

Sasuke glanced around the tree to see a drenched blonde sitting there. His eyes closed, head lifted up, lips slightly parted, letting the rain fall in.

'Dobe?' The dunce could make that sound? 'It sounded so sad...' Sasuke shook his head.

"Oy, Dobe." he said normally. His voice barely over the storm. Naruto's eyes snapped open and he turned to Sasuke, trying to hide that he had been crying.

"What do you want Sasuke?" he muttered. Sasuke blinked, he didn't cuss him out or anything. Was he sick?

"What's wrong? And why the heck are you out in this storm?" he asked, stepping onto one of the trees big roots.

"What difference does it make? I'm out here aren't I? It's none of _your_ business why." He lowered his head so it was hidden by his knees, forehead on them.

Sasuke stood there for a good five minutes without moving. Naruto blinked and stopped his newly bursting tears to look up as the rain stopped hitting him.

Sasuke was holding his black umbrella over Naruto, and getting wet himself.

"Sasuke..." Naruto managed. Sasuke gave him a slightly concerned, but mostly curious look.

"Why were you crying, dunce?" he asked in a serious tone. Naruto again brushed off the name.

"I...I wasn't crying!" Naruto yelled.

"Your eyes are red." Sasuke said bluntly. Naruto cursed under his breath.

"So what? Just because I might've had a _weak_ moment...gonna make fun of me for it now?" he asked bitterly, looking down at the ground dejectedly.

Nothing happened. Sasuke didn't speak.

Getting curious as to if the black haired boy was still there, Naruto raised his head slightly. That's all it took to see the hand right in front of his face. Looking further up, he saw Sasuke attached to that hand. Umbrella in his left hand, right hand out.

"Huh?" he muttered. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Here. I'll help you up." he grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him to his feet. "There."

'_I'll help you up.'_

Naruto beamed at Sasuke.

"Say Sasuke...what are _you_ doing out in the rain?" he asked as Sasuke covered them both with the umbrella.

"Taking a walk." Sasuke shrugged, noticing the use of nothing but a name from Naruto. Naruto shrugged too, and they headed off to deliver him home. "Don't cry ok? You crying is like me smiling on Christmas for no reason. Just not right."

"Gotacha Sasuke." Naruto shook his head, water came off it in waves.

Sasuke blocked his head from the water, but was otherwise now as wet as the blonde. Naruto flicked a piece of his hair from his face and smiled, his eyes already drying from their reddened state. Sasuke refused to smirk at his simpleness.

"Hey Sasuke" the blonde started. "Do you like the rain?"

"Huh?" he shrugged and smirked. Laughing once he answered. "Yea. I guess so." Naruto nodded.

"Me too." and that's all they said before arriving at Naruto's apartment. "Bye bastard."

"See ya dunce." Sasuke smirked as he left.

Tomorrow promised a severe cold and a fight with the dobe. Sneezing once already, he entered his own house to take a shower and go to bed.

**Rectified! This seemed to be a slightly Yaoi story in my mind -no!- but I think I did a great job of making it a friendship story like 'The Gardener.' -smile-**

**Once I finish the third one, you'll notice that they are all about the subtle friendship between Sasuke and Naruto. I think they make a great team and in my mind they are good friends. I haven't read far enough into the manga to really back that up though. Nothing but fighting. But I can clearly state that Naruto takes Sasuke as he is, a friend and rival. And Sasuke unconsciously does the same with Naruto. So yea, let their friendship live on!**

**Anyways. #3 is also a 'might've happened' from when they were kids. I love writing one-shots were they may have met before, but just forgotten about it...Yea...It's so wonderful. Also note that I have a summary for this one posted at the top. It's cause I originally planned all three of these to be separate stories, but decided against it.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. -smiles again-**


	3. Hajiki

**Hajiki**

**Naruto is 7. He finds a puppy. Will the puppy be his friend, or just another deserter?**

"Yea...this works..." Naruto finished making the preparations for his mischief the next day and took off from the Hokage's house. "Ha ha!"

A whine made him stop. He turned his head to see a little, black puppy sitting halfway under a bush.

"Huh?" he walked over to it and the puppy flinched away, but didn't move. "What's the matter puppy?"

It whined and Naruto saw that it had hurt it's paw. He picked it up and scratched it behind the ears. That calmed him down.

"Don't worry puppy! I'll take care of you!" he then ran home with the dog.

-

"Let's see...How about...Pocky?"

"Grrrr..."

"Ok...Ramen?"

"Grrrr..."

"Maybe...Spot?"

"Grrrrrrrrr..."

"Fine fine...Hajiki?"

"Bark!"

"Ok, Hajiki it is!" Naruto cheered.

He was bandaging the puppy's paw after cleaning the wound. Now he had a name, and he'd be Naruto's new and only friend.

"Come on Hajiki, you need a bath!" Naruto called happily as he began to gentle scrub the dog, avoiding the cut on his paw. Hajiki struggled.

-

3 weeks later

"Hajiki! Lunch time!" Naruto called. Nothing. "Hajiki!"

The blonde boy searched his apartment but the dog wasn't there.

"Hajiki? Hajiki where are you?" he saw his window open slightly and silently cursed. "Hajiki!"

-

A black puppy was crouching in the bushes, a little yellow band around it's neck. The target was in sight...20 ft away...Come closer, closer...that's it...closer...

10 ft. Soon he'd be able to jump him.

5 ft. Yes! Yes! Just a little closer.

2 FT! That's it! Now!

"Hajiki!"

He fell over.

"Huh?" the black haired target knelt down to see what had fallen down.

"Hajiki! Where are you?" Naruto called.

"A puppy? Where's your owner?" Sasuke asked the dog, seeing it's band.

"Haji-"

"Is this who you're looking for?" Sasuke held the dog as if it were a germ almost. Naruto beamed.

"Hajiki!" he ran over and grabbed the black dog happily. "Why'd you run off?"

"Bark!" he turned to Sasuke.

"Huh?" he looked at the boy in front of him. "Oh hi. Sorry about that. Thanks for finding him. I'm Naruto, who're you?"

"Hn." he scoffed and turned away.

"Bastard! How rude!" Naruto yelled as he walked away.

"Bark!" Hajiki ran after the black boy, leaving Naruto alone.

"Hajiki! Hajiki where're you going?" he called. The dog ignored him. "Hajiki?"

Sasuke looked down when the dog caught up to him and Naruto slid to his knees, then sat down. His own dog had left him...Course, it wasn't his dog, it was a stray he'd found. But, hadn't they gotten along well?

'Great...someone else that hates me for reasons I don't know.' Naruto turned and slowly walked off, not noticing that Sasuke had turned and had been staring at him.

-

"Bark!" he heard. The dark haired boy looked down to see Hajiki staring back.

"What are you doing? Go back to your owner, that...Naruto guy." Sasuke motioned towards the blonde. As he did this, Sasuke noticed Naruto was on the ground and turned to look.

His eyes were kinda glazed over and sad. He looked kinda betrayed. Hajiki jumped up into Sasuke's arms, but said boy ignored him.

'What's wrong with him?' he wondered.

Naruto stood up unnaturally slow and turned, walking away slowly. Sasuke watched until he was out of sight, then he noticed Hajiki barking at him.

"Bark! Bark!" he seemed happy at least. Sasuke gave a half glare.

"Why'd you follow me? Your owner seemed pretty down." he sounded like he was lecturing a 3 year old. Hajiki just licked him. "Ugh...come on...We'll go find that boy." and he walked off, taking the dog with him.

-

Naruto looked up from the ground as he continued walking. He wasn't going home, he was just walking. A man with silver hair was in a tree reading a book and a man with brown hair and a scar was ordering around the students at the academy he'd be joining.

Both wore ninja headbands and Naruto knew that he wanted to be one too. But right now...he didn't care.

A girl with pink hair and a girl with blonde hair, both long, were smiling as the pink haired girl spoke. Suddenly, the blonde got mad, and they started fighting. Naruto knew he could never have anyone to fight with, because he had no friends.

He saw the Hokage mountain and cursed at it. He'd be better than any of them! The ramen bar was to his left about 50 ft in front of him. Naruto had just decided to go there when footsteps caught his attention. They stopped right behind him.

"Naruto?"

He slowly turned around. It was the rude black haired kid! With Hajiki!

"Yea? What?' he snapped. Sasuke held Hajiki out to him, took Naruto's hands, and placed the disobedient dog in them.

"He's your dog. Not mine." Sasuke said plainly. "Make sure not to let him follow me. Cause I wont be so nice next time."

"Uh...uh..." Naruto blinked a bit. "Right!" he yelled enthusiastically.

'Why is he so enthusiastic?' Sasuke wondered.

"Anyway. I have to go." he turned and was leaving when a hand caught his. He saw it to be Naruto who stopped him. "What?"

"Hajiki likes you more than he likes me." Naruto gave Sasuke back the dog. "You take him. He's not really mine anyway. Just a stray. And my apartment doesn't allow pets anyway." he smiled. "Bye!"

He ran off.

"My name's Sasuke!"

He stopped.

Naruto turned around, smiled, and waved. Then he went back to running home.

"You cause a lot of trouble don't you?" Sasuke said to the dog. He set him down and watched calmly as he ran off to the hokage mountain. "Bye Hajiki..." he turned and left, smiling at the fact that the dog had tricked them, even if he had figured it out.

-

Hajiki paused at a bush and looked intently at it. A man walked into view, just below the mountain.

"Bark Bark!" he seemed happy, his tailing wagging 90 to nothing.

"Good job Hajiki. You may have started a lasting friendship." the old man said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Bark!" the dog's bark echoed as he vanished in a brush of the wind, like smoke from a dead fire.

"Even in spirit. Our best and closest friends remain to help us when we need it most. I cannot thank you enough, Hajiki..." the 3rd bowed slightly before returning slowly and leisurely to his office to continue working.

-

5 years later.

Naruto ran like the wind after the brown cat with the ribbon on it's ear. Sasuke threw some kunai at it's front paws, all three landing right in front of it. The cat freaked and turned around, only to be met by Naruto's closing grip around it's center.

Naruto clutched the cat like life itself. Sakura came out and hit the cat lightly on the neck, it went limp. Naruto handed the cat to the girl, grateful that he'd only gotten a few scratches this time. Sasuke called in to Kakshi.

"He'll be here in a minute. We should head back so we meet him halfway." he voiced in his usual monotone.

"We're getting better at this. 20 minutes to find it, 5 minutes to catch it...That's less than half an hour!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura, though annoyed slightly by his stupidity and need to count to figure that out, smiled because it was true. They were getting better at this. Sasuke scoffed, but they knew he agreed.

They had only been walking 3 minutes when Kakashi appeared before them.

"Good job guys, and girl." he congratulated. "Let's get back. You have one more D-ranked mission before your training is over for today." he smiled visibly and began to walk back, ignoring the bored looks he got at the mention of another D-Ranked mission.

"Come on you two." Sasuke said in his usual tone, regaining himself faster than the others. "The sooner this is over the sooner you two can go curl your hair." he inwardly laughed at the joke. Sakura followed happily, while Naruto finally got what his rival had said.

"Hey! I am NOT a girl! I don't curl my hair!" he yelled, throwing a fit in the middle of the clearing.

"Let's go Naruto! Just drop it. It was a joke." Sakura called back, smiling as she latched on to Sasuke slightly. He did nothing to restrain her, he knew it was futile.

Naruto growled and was about to walk after them when a sound caught his attention.

"Bark!" it echoed slightly and he turned around. A small black dog sat at the edge of the clearing.

"H-hajiki..." Naruto muttered, not fully knowing where that name came from. The dog smiled as Naruto walked over. "I know you..."

Hajiki barked softly, placing a paw on Naruto's knee and looking slightly to his right, where everyone else was. Naruto nodded, petting the dog.

"Ok...I understand...Bye Hajiki." he said happily, a true smile on his face. The dog whined happily and rubbed his head against Naruto's leg before he darted off towards the others, vanishing in a puff of smoke. Naruto locked eyes with his rival, who had apparently broken free of Sakura and glanced back.

-

"Let's go Naruto! Just drop it. It was a joke." Sakura called back to the blonde, latching onto Sasuke's arm moments after.

He somewhat heard Naruto growl and glanced back when he heard a bark. Sakura and Kakashi didn't seem to hear it, but he did.

"You guys keep going. I'll get Naruto." he motioned to the blonde who was staring into the bushes. Kakashi nodded, smiling as he took out his infamous little book and nudged Sakura forward with the corner of it.

"Umm...maybe later...we could...ow...go get lunch?" Sakura tried as she was pushed along. Sasuke shook his head and she turned and walked along willingly. Sasuke turned his attention to the blonde, who was sitting down now.

A black dog was next to him. He barked softly as Sasuke took a step closer and the dark haired boy saw the dog glance at him. Naruto pet the dog and smiled.

"Ok...I understand...Bye Hajiki..." he heard the muffled response to the dog, apparently thinking it said he should catch up.

'_Hajiki?'_ Sasuke was reminded of a black puppy and he stared at the dog with a bit more care than usual.

The dog whined happily and rubbed his head against Naruto's leg before it bounded towards him. Sasuke saw Hajiki glance up at him before he disappeared in a puff of smoke. He looked to Naruto, who locked eyes with him.

"_Oh hi. Sorry about that. Thanks for finding him. I'm Naruto, who're you?"_

"_My name's Sasuke!"_

Both boys suddenly smiled softly. Friendship? It's unrefined. But it's there. Say hello to a new day, the sun is rising. Can you see it? Even when they're gone, true friends always continue to help you.

Sasuke walked over and extended his hand to Naruto. The blonde took it and Sasuke helped him up.

"You know...even back then you were a bastard." Naruto muttered as he passed his rival.

"Hn. You were annoying then too." he fell into step beside Naruto. Said boy smiled widely.

"Yea. But it was so much fun!" he laughed, putting his arms behind his head in a leisurely manner. "Come on." he began to walk backwards. "Let's catch up to the others. I want ramen and that's only gonna happen when this mission is over with."

"Might want to hurry then Dobe." Sasuke smirked.

"I'm not a dobe." Naruto scowled slightly, then laughed, turned around, and began to run after Kakashi and Sakura. "Come on bastard!"

Sasuke laughed once, then took his hands out of his pockets and ran to catch up.

**I know. Not so great ending. I wanted it light-hearted. This actually kinda reminds me of the ending to Fruits Basket..._.after_ the Akito incident. Kindly review and tell me what you think, please? Anyways, this is the last one for now. If I ever come up with more, I'll post them here...most likely.**


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